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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Picture of Times and Ways Long Forgotten, February 2, 2001
I am becoming enamored of Sister Fidelma. In "Shroud for the Archbishop," Tremayne offers a picture of Rome at a moment when decisions were being made that continue to resonate today. The power struggle of the time often centered on whether the Celtic or the Roman tradition would dominate the church in the emerging revived Europe. Perhaps the lukewarm reception this book has received from other reviewers indicates of how far away and irrelevant those issues seem to many of us. The book's title refers to the murder of the Saxon Archbishop-designate of Canterbury and the immediate suspicion that an Irishman was the culprit. The Romans justifiably fear that this could cause a war between the two peoples. Fortunately, Sister Fidelma and Brother Eadulf, her erstwhile Saxon companion, are at-hand to solve the mystery, and thereby to prevent a war. In the end, then as now, things can be covered up by the powers that be. On the cover of the paperback edition, the reader is promised "A Mystery of Ancient Ireland." In fact, this book is set completely in seventh-century Rome. Tremayne's particular accomplishment here is to shed some light on the ins and outs of that place and that time. The plot, despite all of its twists and turns, is not nearly as compelling as the skill and deftness Tremayne draws upon to make the reader enter Rome of the dark ages. Tremayne's bias towards the Celtic sensibility pervades his telling of the story, to the point that I was put off a bit. However, Tremayne mostly succeeds in his didactic intent, and the reader cannot help but wonder what might have happened had the Celts prevailed in their disputes with Rome. Sister Fidelma is an admirable spokeperson for the Celtic view, a well-drawn and complex protagonist with recognizable strengths and weaknesses. Tremanyne seems to reach a bit when he paints her as some sort of proto-feminist, but the historical evidence supports his contention that women were full participants in Celtic society and in the early Celtic church. Episcopalians will find it interesting to note that women were said to be allowed to celebrate mass until Rome stopped the practice. There is even some scholarly debate as to whether Patrick himself ordained a female bishop. At the time, relationships among the religious below the rank of Bishop were discouraged, but not prohibited. The possibility of romance adds a touch of humanity to the relationship between Sister Fidelma and Brother Eadulf. Tremayne hints at some reason in Sister Fidelma's past that prevents her from having a closer relationship with Brother Eadulf, but the author never enlightens us further. Many other members of the church appear as flesh-and-blood people who share our passions and perversions. Overall, "Shroud for the Archbishop" is a solid mystery, not too challenging yet enlightening. Whatever the text lacks in verisimilitude or accuracy, it makes up for by painting an interesting picture of Rome in those long-forgotten times. I plan to read the whole series.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Stick to the story!, April 29, 2003
Mmm, no. I enjoy history-albeit mostly ancient history-and I enjoy murder mysteries. I even enjoy historic murder mysteries, but although I feel that the character of Sister Fidelma has much potential, I think the author has missed the mark by a wide margin. I had selected the Shroud for the Archbishop because it had been recommended to me by another murder mystery afficionado whose other suggestions had been dead on. This one was a disappointment. Peter Tremayne is the nom de plume of the Celtic scholar and author Peter Berresford Ellis. He has a BA and MA in Celtic studies and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He has primarily pursued a career as a journalist, becoming a full time writer in 1975 and producing popular works on Celtic literature and history and fictional works like the Sister Fidelma series. Although Mr. Tremayne's characters flirt with the reader, they do not seem to entirely captivate. One has the definite sense that they could be so much more than they are, especially Fidelma. The settings really should be interesting-I've been to Rome, and I've studied Roman history-but somehow they become merely a catalogue of physical characteristics rather than an ambiance. At times I felt like a reluctant tourist being dragged on a walk about of Rome by the overly enthusiastic tour guide Brother Eadulf. The author spends so much time bogging this character down in historic recitations that the tale of the murdered archbishop designate, Wighard of Canterbury, becomes lost in the author's attempt to educate the reader. How much more smoothly, subtly and painlessly is this type of historical information introduced by Ellis Peters in her Brother Cadfael series or by Candace Robb in her Owen Archer mysteries. Even Timeline by Michael Crichton introduces historical data without losing the reader. In each of these cases, the STORY is the most critical facet of the book. Historical details are added to enhance and advance the story. While they definitely educate, their primary purpose is to create a setting in which the characters live and act. Although I haven't yet read them, I think I'd probably prefer Mr. Tremayne's expository works, A Brief History of the Druids and Erin's Blood Royal: The Gaelic Noble Dynasties of Ireland. I will probably read both. I'll give another of his other Sister Fidelma stories a try, but if this is truly his preferred style of writing fiction, I don't think I'll enjoy a second mystery any more than I did the Shroud for the Archbishop. Stick to the story Mr. Tremayne.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
The Fighting Irish, February 18, 2007
As someone who enjoyed immensely Ellis Peters' (aka Edith Pargeter's) elegant, sensitive, and moving Brother Cadfael mysteries, and who is fascinated with the interaction of Irish and Anglo-Saxon cultures in early medieval England, I finally decided to give Sister Fidelma a try. After reading Absolution by Murder, I ordered Shroud for the Archbishop. Reluctantly, I'm forced to conclude that these books deserve no more than a "2." On the positive side, the author is a historian, and it shows--but too much. As other reviewers have noted, he can't resist cramming every bit of his knowledge into the plot, at the expense of both plot and character. There are three other big problems. One is the main character herself. Unless you're really fond of people who are absolutely convinced of their own moral superiority and of their culture's superiority to all others, and who can't stop lecturing everyone in sight about their inferiority, you may find Fidelma a bit offputting. Maybe over the long haul of the series her humanity eventually shows through, but not in books 1 and 2. The second problem is that the author is as biased as his heroine, and seldom acknowledges anything positive in the motives, actions, or culture of the Anglo-Saxons or Romans. He exaggerates every point of cultural difference as well as the conflict between the Irish and Anglo-Saxons over 8th-century Christian practices, conveniently forgetting that both peoples were originally evangelized by Rome, looked to Rome for guidance, and resolved their disagreements peacefully. He also ignores the considerable cultural interplay that produced treasures such as the Lindisfarne Gospels, which are neither "Celtic" nor "Anglo-Saxon," but something new: Hiberno-Saxon. The only character other than Fidelma whom he presents sympathetically is Brother Eadulf, an Anglo-Saxon, whose chief virtues seem to be that he studied a long time in Ireland and is willing to put up with Fidelma. Finally, the writing needs a good, strong editorial hand. The most annoying example to me is the author's use of "shrug" and "grimace" on every other page. My favorite is "grimaced indifferently" (a sort of grimace-shrug?). I'm afraid "grimace" and "shrug" pretty much sum up my reaction to these books.
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